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BRIGHT MINDS BIOSCIENCES INC

For the period ended Sep 30, 2024. Filed Dec 31, 2024.

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The yearly report of a company based outside the US. It covers much of what a 10-K does, and may follow accounting rules other than US ones.

FY2024 · Filed Dec 31, 2024

DRUG$23.00+11.1%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

☐ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) or 12(g) OF THESECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THESECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year endedSeptember 30,2024

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THESECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _______________ to _______________

OR

☐ SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THESECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report _______________

Commission file number001-40997

BRIGHT MINDS BIOSCIENCES INC.

(Exact name of Registrant specified in its charter)

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant's name into English)

British Columbia, Canada

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

19 Vestry Street, New York, NY 10013

(Address of principal executive offices)

**Ian McDonald; (647)407-2515;**ian@brightmindsbio.com

19 Vestry Street, New York, NY 10013

(Name, Telephone, Email and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.

Title of Each ClassTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Common SharesDRUGThe Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.

None

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act.

None

(Title of Class)

Number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer's classes of capital or common stock as of the close of business of the period covered by the annual report.

4,524,087 Common Shares, Without Par Value

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes ☐No ☒

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of theSecurities Exchange Act of 1934

Yes ☐No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of theSecurities Exchange Act of 1934during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer ☐Accelerated Filer ☐
Non Accelerated Filer ☒Emerging Growth Company ☒

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.☐

Indicate by check market whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S. C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant's executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

U.S. GAAP ☐International Financial Reporting Standards as issuedOther ☐
by the International Accounting Standards Board ☒

If "Other" has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow: Item 17 ☐ Item 18 ☐

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b 2 of the Exchange Act):

Yes ☐ No☒

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I5
ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS5
ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE5
ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION5
ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY21
ITEM 4A. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS41
ITEM 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS41
ITEM 6. DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES49
ITEM 7. MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS66
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL INFORMATION68
ITEM 9. THE OFFER AND LISTING69
ITEM 10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION69
ITEM 11. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK75
ITEM 12. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES76
PART II76
ITEM 13. DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES76
ITEM 14. MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS76
ITEM 15. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES76
ITEM 16.77
ITEM 16A. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT77
ITEM 16B. CODE OF ETHICS78
ITEM 16C. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES78
ITEM 16D. EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES78
ITEM 16E. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS78
ITEM 16F. CHANGE IN REGISTRANT'S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT78
ITEM 16G. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE79
ITEM 16H. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE82
ITEM 16I. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTION83
ITEM 16J. INSIDER TRADING POLICIES83
ITEM 16K. CYBERSECURITY83
PART III85
ITEM 17. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS85
ITEM 18. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS85
ITEM 19. EXHIBITS2

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 20-F contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements". Any statements that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These statements appear in a number of different places in this Annual Report and, in some cases, can be identified by words such as "anticipates", "estimates", "projects", "expects", "contemplates", "intends", "believes", "plans", "may", "will" or their negatives or other comparable words, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements in this Annual Report may include, but are not limited to:

  • the Company's expectations regarding the achievement of clinical and regulatory milestones;

  • the executive compensation of the Company;

  • the composition of the board of directors (the "Board") and management of the Company;

  • the Company's expectations regarding its revenue, expenses and research and development operations;

  • the Company's anticipated cash needs and its needs for additional financing;

  • the Company's intention to grow the business and its operations;

  • expectations with respect to the success of its research and development of serotonergic therapeutics;

  • expectations regarding growth rates, growth plans and strategies of the Company;

  • expectations that provisional patent applications will be converted to regular patent applications or refiled as new provisional patent applications 12 months from their filing dates;

  • expectations that prosecution of patent applications that have entered the national/regional phase will begin;

  • the Company's strategy with respect to the expansion and protection of its intellectual property;‎

  • the medical benefits, safety, efficacy, dosing and consumer acceptance of serotonergic therapeutics;

  • the Company's ability to comply with provincial, federal, local and regulatory agencies in the United States, Canada and other ‎jurisdictions in which the Company operates‎;

  • the Company's competitive position and the regulatory environment in which the Company operates;

  • the Company's expected business objectives for the next 12 months;

  • the Company's plans with respect to the payment of dividends;

  • beliefs and intentions regarding the ownership of material trademarks and domain names used in connection with the design, production, marketing, distribution and sale of the Company's products and services;

  • the Company's ability to obtain additional funds through the sale of equity or debt commitments;

  • the Company's ability to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals;

  • expectations that regulatory requirements will be maintained;

  • expectations related to general business and economic conditions;

  • 2 -

  • ‎the Company's ability to successfully execute its plans and intentions;

  • the availability of financing on reasonable terms to the Company;

  • the Company's ability to attract and retain skilled staff;

  • expectations about market competition;

  • expectations about the products, services and technology offered by the Company's competitors; and

  • expectations that the Company's current good relationships with its suppliers, service providers and other third parties will be maintained.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Although, the Company believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect, and the Company cannot assure that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Given these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, prospective investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Whether actual results, performance or achievements will conform to the Company's expectations and predictions is subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, including those listed under Item 3.D "Risk Factors" which include:

  • limited operating history;

  • the Company's actual financial position and results of operations may differ materially from the expectations of the Company's management;

  • the Company may be required to obtain and maintain certain permits, licenses, and approvals in the jurisdictions where its products or technologies are being researched, developed, or commercialized;

  • the Company may encounter substantial delays or difficulties with its current and future clinical trials;

  • clinical trials are very expensive, time consuming and difficult to design and implement;

  • the Company's current and future clinical trials or those of its current or future collaborators may reveal significant adverse events not seen in pre-clinical and non-clinical studies and may result in a safety profile that could inhibit regulatory approval or market acceptance of any of the Company's product candidates;

  • the Company may not be successful in its efforts to identify, license or discover additional product candidates;

  • the Company has limited experience in completing clinical trials and has only completed one phase one drug trial to date;

  • if the Company experience delays or difficulties in the enrolment of patients in clinical trials, receipt of regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented;

  • success in pre-clinical studies or clinical trials may not be predictive of results in future clinical trials;

  • interim, "topline," and preliminary data from the Company's clinical trials that the Company announces or publishes from time to time may change as more patient data becomes available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data;

  • the Company may not be successful in its efforts to identify, license or discover additional product candidates;

  • risks associated with the development of the Company's products which are at early stages of ‎development‎;

  • 3 -

  • there is no assurance that the Company will turn a profit or generate immediate revenues;

  • the continued operation of the Company as a going concern;

  • the Company's intellectual property and licenses thereto;

  • the Company may not achieve the timelines for project development set out in this Annual Report;

  • the Company faces product liability exposure;

  • the Company has international operations, which subject the Company to risks inherent with operations outside of Canada;

  • exchange rate fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar;

  • changes to patent laws or the interpretation of patent laws;

  • ‎the risk of patent-related or other litigation‎;

  • the Company may not be able to enforce its intellectual property rights throughout the world;

  • the lack of product for commercialization;

  • the lack of experience of the Company/management in marketing, selling, and distribution products;

  • the size of the Company's target market is difficult to quantify;

  • potentials for conflicts of interest for the Company's officers and directors;

  • in certain circumstances, the Company's reputation could be damaged;

  • negative operating cash flow;

  • need for additional financing;

  • uncertainty and discretion of use of proceeds;

  • the potential for a material weakness in the Company's internal controls over financial reporting;

  • difficulties with forecasts;

  • market price of Common Shares and volatility; and

  • dilution of Common Shares.

Although management has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There is no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These cautionary remarks expressly qualify, in their entirety, all forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on the Company's behalf. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such statements, except as, and to the extent required by, applicable securities laws. Readers should carefully review the cautionary statements and risk factors contained in this Annual Report and other documents that the Company may file from time to time with the securities regulators.

  • 4 -

PART I

The following discussion and analysis, prepared for the year ended September 30, 2024, is a review of our operations, current financial position and outlook and should be read in conjunction with our annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2024 and the notes thereto. We present our financial statements in Canadian dollars. All references to "C$" are to Canadian dollars and references to "US$" are to United States dollars. On September 27, 2024, the daily average exchange rate for the conversion of Canadian dollars into U.S. dollars as reported by the Bank of Canada was C$1.00 = US$0.74.

**ITEM 1.**IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

**ITEM 2.**OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

**ITEM 3.**KEY INFORMATION

A.[Reserved]

**B.**Capitalization and Indebtedness

**C.**Reasons for the offer and use of proceeds

**D.**Risk Factors

An investment in our securities carries a significant degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risks, as well as the other information contained in this Annual Report, including our historical and pro forma financial statements and the financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report, before you decide to purchase our securities. Any one of these risks and uncertainties has the potential to cause material adverse effects on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results which could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements expressed by us and a significant decrease in the value of our securities. Refer to "Forward-Looking Statements".

We may not be successful in preventing the material adverse effects that any of the following risks and uncertainties may cause. These potential risks and uncertainties may not be a complete list of the risks and uncertainties facing us. There may be additional risks and uncertainties that we are presently unaware of, or presently consider immaterial, that may become material in the future and have a material adverse effect on us. You could lose all or a significant portion of your investment due to any of these risks and uncertainties.

Risks Related to the Business of the Company

We have a limited operating history and have not yet generated any revenues.

We have a very limited history of operations and are considered a start-up company, which makes evaluating our business and future prospects difficult. As such, we are subject to many risks common to such enterprises, including under-capitalization, cash shortages, limitations with respect to personnel, financial and other resources and lack of revenues. There is no assurance that we will be successful in achieving a return on shareholders' investment and the likelihood of our success must be considered in light of our early stage of operations.

  • 5 -

Our actual financial position and results of operations may differ materially from the expectations of our management.

Our actual financial position and results of operations may differ materially from our management's expectations. We have experienced some changes in our operating plans and certain delays in our plans. As a result, our revenue, net income and cash flow may differ materially from our expected revenue, net income and cash flow. The process for estimating our revenue, net income and cash flow requires the use of judgment in determining the appropriate assumptions and estimates. These estimates and assumptions may be revised as additional information becomes available and as additional analyses are performed. In addition, the assumptions used in planning may not prove to be accurate, and other factors may materially affect our financial condition or results of operations.

The Company may not be successful in its efforts to identify, license or discover additional product candidates.

Although a substantial amount of the Company's effort will focus on the continued research and pre-clinical testing, potential approval and commercialization of its existing product candidates, the success of its business also depends in part upon its ability to identify, license or discover additional product candidates. The Company's research programs or licensing efforts may fail to yield additional product candidates for clinical development for a number of reasons, including but not limited to the following:

  • the Company's research or business development methodology or search criteria and process may be unsuccessful in identifying potential product candidates;

  • the Company may not be able or willing to assemble sufficient resources to acquire or discover additional product candidates;

  • the Company's product candidates may not succeed in pre-clinical or clinical testing;

  • the Company's product candidates may be shown to have harmful side effects or may have other characteristics that may make the products unmarketable or unlikely to receive marketing approval;

  • competitors may develop alternatives that render the Company's product candidates obsolete or less attractive;

  • product candidates the Company develops may be covered by third parties' patents or other exclusive rights;

  • the market for a product candidate may change during the Company's program so that such a product may become unreasonable to continue to develop;

  • a product candidate may not be capable of being produced in commercial quantities at an acceptable cost, or at all; and

  • a product candidate may not be accepted as safe and effective by patients, the medical community or third- party payors.

If any of these events occurs, the Company may be forced to abandon its development efforts to identify, license or discover additional product candidates, which would have a material adverse effect on its business and could potentially cause the Company to cease operations. Research programs to identify new product candidates require substantial technical, financial and human resources. The Company may focus its efforts and resources on potential programs or product candidates that ultimately prove to be unsuccessful.

We may be required and have not yet obtained regulatory approvals, licenses, and permits in the jurisdictions where our products or technologies are being researched, developed or commercialized, which failure to obtain such regulatory approvals, licenses and permits will likely have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We, or our service providers, may be required to obtain and maintain certain permits, licenses, and approvals in the jurisdictions where our products or technologies are being researched, developed, and/or commercialized. We have not obtained regulatory approval for any product candidate, and it is possible that none of our existing product candidates or any future product candidates will ever obtain regulatory approval. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain or maintain any necessary licenses, permits, or approvals. Any material delay or inability to receive these items is likely to delay and/or inhibit our ability to conduct our business, and would have an adverse effect on its business, financial condition, and results of operations. In particular, we will require approval from the FDA (as defined herein) and equivalent organizations in other countries before any of our products can be marketed. There is no assurance that such approvals will be forthcoming. Furthermore, the exact nature of the studies these regulatory agencies will require is not known and can be changed at any time by the regulatory agencies, increasing the financing risk and potentially increasing the time to market we face, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

  • 6 -

We may encounter substantial delays or difficulties with our clinical trials, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We may not commercialize, market, promote or sell any product candidate without obtaining marketing approval from the FDA (as defined herein) or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, and we may never receive such approvals. It is impossible to predict when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans and if or when we will receive regulatory approval. Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of its product candidates, we must complete preclinical development and then conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates. Clinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is uncertain as to outcome. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval of their products.

We may experience numerous unforeseen events prior to, during, or as a result of, clinical trials that could delay or prevent our ability to receive marketing approval or commercialize current and any future product candidates, including:

  • delays in reaching a consensus with regulatory authorities on design or implementation of clinical trials;

  • regulators or institutional review boards, or IRBs (as defined herein), may not authorize us or our investigators to commence a clinical trial or conduct a clinical trial at a prospective trial site;

  • delays in reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective clinical research organizations and clinical trial sites;

  • clinical trials of our product candidates may produce negative or inconclusive results;

  • imposition of a clinical hold by regulatory authorities as a result of a serious adverse event, concerns with a class of product candidates or after an inspection of our clinical trial operations, trial sites or manufacturing facilities;

  • occurrence of serious adverse events associated with the product candidate that are viewed to outweigh its potential benefits;

  • changes in regulatory requirements and guidance that require amending or submitting new clinical protocols; or

  • we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical trials or abandon product development programs.

Any inability to successfully complete preclinical and clinical development could result in additional costs to us or impair our ability to generate revenue. In addition, if we make manufacturing or formulation changes to our product candidates, we may need to conduct additional testing to bridge our modified product candidate to earlier versions. Clinical trial delays could also shorten any periods during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our product candidates, if approved, or allow competitors to bring competing drugs to market before us, which could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Additionally, if the results of our clinical trials are inconclusive or if there are safety concerns or serious adverse events associated with product candidates, we may:

  • be delayed in obtaining marketing approval, if at all;

  • obtain approval for indications or patient populations that are not as broad as intended or desired;

  • 7 -

  • obtain approval with labeling that includes significant use or distribution restrictions or safety warnings;

  • be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements;

  • be required to perform additional clinical trials to support approval or be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements;

  • be subject to the addition of labeling statements, such as warnings or contraindications;

  • be sued; or

  • experience damage to its reputation.

Our product development costs will also increase if we experience delays in testing or obtaining marketing approvals. We do not know whether any of our preclinical studies or clinical trials will begin as planned, need to be restructured or be completed on schedule, if at all.

Further, we, the FDA or an IRB may suspend our clinical trials at any time if it appears that we or our collaborators are failing to conduct a trial in accordance with regulatory requirements, such as the FDA's current GCP (as defined herein), that we are exposing participants to unacceptable health risks, or if the FDA finds deficiencies in our INDs (as defined herein), or in the conduct of these trials. Therefore, we cannot predict with any certainty the schedule for commencement and completion of future clinical trials. If we experience delays in the commencement or completion of our clinical trials, or if we terminate a clinical trial prior to completion, the commercial prospects of our product candidates could be negatively impacted, and our ability to generate revenues from our product candidates may be delayed.

Clinical trials are expensive, time consuming and difficult to design and implement, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our product candidates will require clinical testing before we can submit an NDA (as defined herein) for regulatory approval. We cannot predict with any certainty if or when we might submit an NDA for regulatory approval for any of our product candidates or whether any such NDA will be approved by the FDA. Human clinical trials are very expensive and difficult to design and implement, in part because they are subject to rigorous regulatory requirements. For instance, the FDA may not agree with our proposed endpoints for any future clinical trial of our product candidates, which may delay the commencement of our clinical trials. The clinical trial process is also time consuming. Furthermore, failure can occur at any stage, and we could encounter problems that cause us to abandon or repeat clinical trials, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our current and future clinical trials or those of our current or future collaborators may reveal significant adverse events not seen in our pre-clinical and non-clinical studies and may result in a safety profile that could inhibit regulatory approval or market acceptance of any of our product candidates.

Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any products, we must demonstrate through lengthy, complex and expensive pre-clinical studies and clinical trials that our product candidates are both safe and effective for use in each target indication. Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. There is typically an extremely high rate of attrition for product candidates proceeding through clinical trials. Product candidates in later stages of clinical trials also may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy profile despite having progressed through non-clinical studies and initial clinical trials. If the results of our ongoing or future pre-clinical studies and clinical trials are inconclusive with respect to the safety and efficacy of our product candidates, if we do not meet the clinical endpoints with statistical and clinically meaningful significance, or if there are safety concerns associated with our product candidates, we may be prevented from or delayed in obtaining marketing approval for such product candidates.

In some instances, there can be significant variability in safety or efficacy results between different clinical trials of the same product candidate due to numerous factors, including changes in trial procedures set forth in protocols, differences in the size and type of the patient populations, changes in and adherence to the clinical trial protocols, and the rate of dropout among clinical trial participants. Results of our trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects. Further, our product candidates could cause undesirable side effects in clinical trials related to on-target toxicity. If on-target toxicity is observed, or if our product candidates have characteristics that are unexpected, we may need to abandon their development or limit development to narrower uses or subpopulations in which the undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective. Most product candidates that commence clinical trials are never approved as products and there can be no assurance that any of our current or future clinical trials will ultimately demonstrate positive results or support further clinical development of any of our product candidates.

  • 8 -

If significant adverse events or other side effects are observed in any of our current or future clinical trials, we may have difficulty recruiting patients to our clinical trials, patients may drop out of our trials, or we may be required to abandon the trials or our development efforts of one or more product candidates altogether. We, the FDA or other applicable regulatory authorities may suspend or terminate clinical trials of a product candidate at any time for various reasons, including a belief that subjects in such trials are being exposed to unacceptable health risks or adverse side effects. Even if the side effects do not preclude the product from obtaining or maintaining marketing approval, undesirable side effects may inhibit market acceptance of the approved product due to its tolerability versus other therapies. Any of these developments could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We have limited experience in completing clinical trials and have only completed one phase one drug trial to date.

In July 2023, we completed the first Phase 1 clinical trial for our lead compound, BMB-101. However, we have not yet demonstrated an ability to obtain regulatory approval, manufacture a commercial-scale product or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf, or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful commercialisation of a product candidate. We may not be able to file an IND for BMB-101 or any of our other product candidates on the timelines we expect, if at all. For example, we may experience manufacturing delays with IND-enabling studies. Moreover, we cannot be sure that submission of an IND will result in the FDA allowing further clinical trials to begin, or that, once begun, issues will not arise that require us to suspend or terminate clinical trials. Commencing each of these clinical trials is subject to finalizing the trial design based on discussions with the FDA and other regulatory authorities. Any guidance we receive from regulatory authorities is subject to change. For example, a regulatory authority could change its position, including on the acceptability of our trial designs or the clinical endpoints selected, which may require us to complete additional clinical trials or impose stricter approval conditions than we currently expect.

If we are required to conduct additional pre-clinical studies or clinical trials or other testing of our product candidates beyond those that we currently contemplate, if we are unable to successfully complete clinical trials of our product candidates or other testing, if the results of these trials or tests are not positive or are only modestly positive or if there are safety concerns, we may:

  • be delayed in obtaining marketing approval for our product candidates;

  • not obtain marketing approval at all;

  • obtain approval for indications or patient populations that are not as broad as intended or desired;

  • be subject to post-marketing testing requirements; or

  • have the product removed from the market after obtaining marketing approval.

If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrolment of patients in clinical trials, our receipt of regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented.

We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our product candidates if we are unable to locate and enrol a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials as required by the FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside the United States. In particular, because we are deploying our drug discovery platform across a broad target space, our ability to enrol eligible patients may be limited or may result in slower enrolment than we anticipate. For example, because some of our product candidates target rare diseases, we may have difficulty enrolling a sufficient number of eligible patients or enrolment may be slower than we anticipate. In addition, some of our competitors have ongoing clinical trials for product candidates that treat the same indications as our product candidates, and patients who would otherwise be eligible for our clinical trials may instead enrol in clinical trials of our competitors' product candidates. We may not be able to identify, recruit and enrol a sufficient number of patients to complete our clinical studies for a number of reasons, including:

  • 9 -

  • the severity of the disease under investigation;

  • the eligibility criteria and overall design of the clinical trial in question;

  • the perceived risks and benefits of the product candidate under study;

  • clinicians' and patients' perceptions as to the potential advantages of the product candidate being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new products that may be approved for the indications we are investigating;

  • the ability to obtain and maintain patient consents;

  • the efforts to facilitate timely enrolment in clinical trials;

  • the patient referral practices of physicians;

  • the size and nature of the patient population required for analysis of the trial's primary endpoints;

  • the ability to monitor patients adequately during and after treatment;

  • the proximity and availability of clinical trial sites for prospective patients;

  • the risk that patients enrolled in clinical trials will drop out of the clinical trials before completion of their treatment; and

  • factors we may not be able to control, such as potential future pandemics that may limit patients, principal investigators, staff or clinical site availability.

Success in pre-clinical studies or clinical trials may not be predictive of results in future clinical trials.

Positive results from early pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates are not necessarily predictive of the results of later pre-clinical studies and any future clinical trials of our product candidates. Even if we are able to complete our planned pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates according to our current development timeline, the results from such pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates may not be replicated in subsequent pre-clinical studies or clinical trial results. If we cannot replicate such positive results in our later pre-clinical studies and future clinical trials, we may be unable to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialise our product candidates.

Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in late-stage clinical trials after achieving positive results in early-stage development, and we cannot be certain that we will not face similar setbacks. These setbacks have been caused by, among other things, pre-clinical and other non-clinical findings made while clinical trials were underway, or safety or efficacy observations made in preclinical studies and clinical trials, including previously unreported adverse events. Moreover, pre-clinical, non-clinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials nonetheless failed to obtain FDA approval.

Additionally, future clinical trials that we may plan might utilise an "open-label" trial design. An "open-label" clinical trial is one where both the patient and investigator know whether the patient is receiving the investigational product candidate or either an existing approved drug or placebo. Most typically, open-label clinical trials test only the investigational product candidate and sometimes may do so at different dose levels. Open-label clinical trials are subject to various limitations that may exaggerate any therapeutic effect as patients in open-label clinical trials are aware when they are receiving treatment. Open-label clinical trials may be subject to a "patient bias" where patients perceive their symptoms to have improved merely due to their awareness of receiving an experimental treatment. In addition, open-label clinical trials may be subject to an "investigator bias" where those assessing and reviewing the physiological outcomes of the clinical trials are aware of which patients have received treatment and may interpret the information of the treated group more favourably given this knowledge. The results from an open-label trial may not be predictive of future clinical trial results with any of our product candidates for which we include an open-label clinical trial when studied in a controlled environment with a placebo or active control.

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Interim, "topline," and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data becomes available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.

From time to time, we may publicly disclose preliminary or topline data from our clinical trials, which is based on a preliminary analysis of then-available data, and the results and related findings and conclusions are subject to change following a more comprehensive review of the data related to the particular study or trial. We also make assumptions, estimations, calculations and conclusions as part of our analyses of data, and we may not have received or had the opportunity to fully and carefully evaluate all data. As a result, the topline or preliminary results that we report may differ from future results of the same studies, or different conclusions or considerations may qualify such results, once additional data have been received and fully evaluated. Topline data also remains subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the preliminary data we previously published. As a result, topline data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available. From time to time, we may also disclose interim data from our clinical trials. Interim data from clinical trials that we may complete are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrolment continues and more patient data become available or as patients from our clinical trials continue other treatments for their disease. Adverse differences between preliminary or interim data and final data could significantly harm our business prospects.

If the interim, topline, or preliminary data that we report differ from actual results, or if others, including regulatory authorities, disagree with the conclusions reached, our ability to obtain approval for, and commercialise, our product candidates may be harmed, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, the information we choose to publicly disclose regarding a particular clinical trial is based on what is typically extensive information, and investors may not agree with what we determine is material or otherwise appropriate information to include in our disclosure.

We may not be successful in our efforts to identify, license or discover additional product candidates, which may have a material adverse effect on our business and could potentially cause us to cease operations.

Although a substantial amount of our effort will focus on the continued research and pre-clinical testing, potential approval and commercialization of our existing product candidates, the success of our business also depends in part upon our ability to identify, license or discover additional product candidates. Our research programs or licensing efforts may fail to yield additional product candidates for clinical development for a number of reasons, including but not limited to the following:

  • our research or business development methodology or search criteria and process may be unsuccessful in identifying potential product candidates;

  • we may not be able or willing to assemble sufficient resources to acquire or discover additional product candidates;

  • our product candidates may not succeed in pre-clinical or clinical testing;

  • our product candidates may be shown to have harmful side effects or may have other characteristics that may make the products unmarketable or unlikely to receive marketing approval;

  • competitors may develop alternatives that render our product candidates obsolete or less attractive;

  • product candidates we develop may be covered by third parties' patents or other exclusive rights;

  • the market for a product candidate may change during our program so that such a product may become unreasonable to continue to develop;

  • a product candidate may not be capable of being produced in commercial quantities at an acceptable cost, or at all; and

  • a product candidate may not be accepted as safe and effective by patients, the medical community or third-party payors.

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If any of these events occurs, we may be forced to abandon our development efforts to identify, license or discover additional product candidates, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and could potentially cause us to cease operations. Research programs to identify new product candidates require substantial technical, financial and human resources. We may focus our efforts and resources on potential programs or product candidates that ultimately prove to be unsuccessful.

There is no assurance that we will turn a profit or generate immediate revenues.

There is no assurance as to whether the Company will be profitable, earn revenues, or pay dividends. The Company has incurred and anticipates that it will continue to incur substantial expenses relating to the development and initial operations of its business. The payment and amount of any future dividends will depend upon, among other things, the Company's results of operations, cash flow, financial condition, and operating and capital requirements. There is no assurance that future dividends will be paid, and, if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with respect to the amount of any such dividends.

We have a going concern risk, which if we are unable to generative positive cash flows and/or obtain additional financing sufficient to fund continued activities and acquisitions, may materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations as well as our ability to continue operations.

The continued operation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the Company's ability to generate positive cash flows and/or obtain additional financing sufficient to fund continuing activities and acquisitions. While the Company continues to review its operations in order to identify strategies and tactics to increase revenue streams and financing opportunities, there is no assurance that the Company will be successful in such efforts; if the Company is not successful, it may be required to significantly reduce or limit operations, or no longer operate as a going concern. It is also possible that operating expenses could increase in order to grow the business. If the Company does not significantly increase its revenue to meet these increased operating expenses and/or obtain financing until its revenue meets these operating expenses, its business, financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected. The Company cannot be sure when or if it will ever achieve profitability and, if it does, it may not be able to sustain or increase that profitability.

We may not be able to adequately protect and maintain our intellectual property and licenses, which could result in a material adverse effect to our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Company's success will depend in part on its ability to protect and maintain its intellectual property rights and its licenses. No assurance can be given that the license or rights used by the Company will not be challenged, invalidated, infringed or circumvented, nor that the rights granted thereunder will provide competitive advantages to the Company. It is not clear whether the pending patent applications will result in the issuance of patents. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to enter into licensing arrangements, develop or obtain alternative technology in respect of patents issued to third parties that incidentally cover its production processes. Moreover, the Company could potentially incur substantial legal costs in defending legal actions which allege patent infringement or by instituting patent infringement suits against others. The Company's commercial success also depends on the Company not infringing patents or proprietary rights of others and not breaching the exclusive license granted to the Company. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to maintain such licenses that it may require to conduct its business or that such licences have been obtained at a reasonable cost. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to remain in compliance with its licenses. Consequently, there may be a risk that such licenses may be withdrawn with no compensation or penalties to the Company.

Our inability to achieve timelines for publicly disclosed projects may result in material adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Company's business is dependent on a number of key inputs and their related costs including raw materials and supplies related to its operations, as well as electricity, water and other utilities. Any significant interruption or negative change in the availability or economics of the supply chain for key inputs could materially impact the business, financial condition operating results, and timelines for project development of the Company. Any inability to secure required supplies and services or to do so on appropriate terms could have a materially adverse impact on the business, financial condition, operating results, and timelines for project development of the Company.

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We may need additional capital for future operations and if we are not able to secure any required capital, we may be forced to curtail or discontinue our operations.

It is possible that costs associated with the operating our business will exceed our projections depending on the timing of future operating and capital expenses. Assuming our existing funds sustain our operations for next 12 months, we believe that we may thereafter require additional capital for additional product development, sales and marketing operations, other operating expenses and for general corporate purposes to fund growth in our Company's markets. We do not know how much additional funding we may require. We may therefore be required to seek other sources of financing in the future, which sources (assuming we are able to locate such alternative sources of financing) may be on terms less favorable to us than those of our previous securities offerings. Any additional equity financing may be dilutive to shareholders, and debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants. If additional funds are raised through the issuance of equity securities, the percentage ownership of our shareholders will be reduced, shareholders may experience additional dilution in net book value per share, or such equity securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of the holders of the Common Shares. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to develop or enhance our products and services, take advantage of future opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results, or we may be forced to curtail or cease our operations.

We may become subject to product liability claims, which could harm our financial condition and liquidity if we are not able to successfully defend or insure against such claims.

The risk of product liability is inherent in the research, development, manufacturing, marketing and use of pharmaceutical products. Product candidates and products that we may commercially market in the future may cause, or may appear to have caused, injury or dangerous drug reactions, and expose the Company to product liability claims. These claims might be made by patients who use the product, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, corporate collaborators or others selling such products. If the Company's product candidates during clinical trials were to cause adverse side effects, the Company may be exposed to substantial liabilities. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, product liability claims or other claims related to the Company's product candidates may result in:

  • decreased demand for our products due to negative public perception;

  • injury to our reputation;

  • withdrawal of clinical trial participants or difficulties in recruiting new trial participants;

  • initiation of investigations by regulators;

  • costs to defend or settle related litigation;

  • a diversion of management's time and resources;

  • substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;

  • product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions;

  • loss of revenues from product sales; and

  • the inability to commercialize any of product candidates, if approved.

The Company intends to obtain clinical trial insurance once a clinical trial is initiated. However, the insurance coverage may not be sufficient to reimburse the Company for any expenses or losses it may suffer. Insurance coverage is becoming increasingly expensive, and, in the future, the Company, or any of its collaborators, may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in sufficient amounts or at all to protect against losses due to liability. Even if the Company's agreements with any future collaborators entitle it to indemnification against product liability losses, such indemnification may not be available or adequate should any claim arise. The Company's inability to obtain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of its product candidates. If a successful product liability claim or series of claims is brought against the Company for uninsured liabilities or in excess of insured liabilities, its assets may not be sufficient to cover such claims and its business operations could be impaired.

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Should any of the events described above occur, this could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.

Health and safety issues related to our products may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Health and safety issues related to our products may arise that could lead to litigation or other action ‎against us or to regulation of certain of our product components. We may be required to modify ‎our products and may also be required to pay damages that may reduce our ‎profitability and adversely affect our financial condition. Even if these concerns prove to be baseless, the resulting ‎negative publicity could affect our ability to market certain of our products and, in turn, could harm our ‎business and results from operations.

We have international operations, which subjects us to risks inherent with operations outside of Canada.

The Company has international operations and may seek to obtain market approvals in foreign markets that it deems could generate significant opportunities. However, even with the cooperation of a commercialization partner, conducting drug development in foreign countries involves inherent risks, including, but not limited to: difficulties in staffing, funding and managing foreign operations; different and unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; export restrictions; tariffs and other trade barriers; different reimbursement systems; economic weaknesses or political instability in particular foreign economies and markets; compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labour laws for employees living or travelling abroad; supply chain and raw materials management; difficulties in protecting, acquiring, enforcing and litigating intellectual property rights; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; and potentially adverse tax consequences.

If the Company were to experience any of the difficulties listed above, or any other difficulties, its international development activities and its overall financial condition may suffer and cause it to reduce or discontinue our international development and market approval efforts.

Exchange rate fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar may negatively affect our earnings and cash flows.

The Company's functional currency is the Canadian dollar. The Company may incur expenses Canadian Dollars and U.S. dollars. As a result, we are exposed to the risks that the Canadian dollar may devalue relative to the U.S. Dollar, or, if the Canadian dollar appreciates relative to the U.S. Dollar, that the inflation rate in Canada may exceed such rate of devaluation of the Canadian dollar, or that the timing of such devaluation may lag behind inflation in Canada. The Company cannot predict any future trends in the rate of inflation in Canada or the rate of devaluation, if any, of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. Dollar.

If patent laws or the interpretation of patent laws change, our competitors may be able to develop and commercialize our discoveries.

Important legal issues remain to be resolved as to the extent and scope of available patent protection for biopharmaceutical products and processes in Canada and other important markets outside Canada, such as Europe or the United States. As such, litigation or administrative proceedings may be necessary to determine the validity, scope and ownership of certain of our and others' proprietary rights. Any such litigation or proceeding may result in a significant commitment of resources in the future and could force the Company to do one or more of the following: cease selling or using any of its future products that incorporate a challenged intellectual property, which would adversely affect its revenue; obtain a license or other rights from the holder of the intellectual property right alleged to have been infringed or otherwise violated, which license may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all; and redesign its future products to avoid infringing or violating the intellectual property rights of third parties, which may be time-consuming or impossible to do. In addition, changes in patent laws in Canada and other countries may result in allowing others to use its discoveries or develop and commercialize our products. The Company cannot provide assurance that the patents it obtains will afford it significant commercial protection.

We may not be able to enforce our intellectual property rights throughout the world. This risk is exacerbated because we expect that one or more of our product candidates will be manufactured and used in a number of foreign countries.

The laws of foreign countries may not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of Canada. Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in certain foreign jurisdictions. This risk is exacerbated for the Company because it expects that future product candidates could be manufactured, and used in a number of foreign countries.

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The legal systems of some countries, particularly developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, especially those relating to life sciences. This could make it difficult to stop the infringement or other misappropriation of the Company's intellectual property rights. For example, several foreign countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner must grant licenses to third parties. In addition, some countries limit the enforceability of patents against third parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, patents and trade secrets may provide limited or no benefit.

Most jurisdictions in which the Company intends to apply for patents have patent protection laws similar to those of Canada, but some of them do not. For example, the Company may do business in the future in countries that may not provide the same or similar protection as that provided in Canada. Additionally, due to uncertainty in patent protection law, the Company has not filed applications in many countries where significant markets exist.

Proceedings to enforce patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert the Company's efforts and attention from other aspects of its business. Accordingly, efforts to protect intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate. In addition, changes in the law and legal decisions by courts in Canada, the U.S., and foreign countries may affect our ability to obtain adequate protection for the Company's technology and the enforcement of its intellectual property.

The lack of product for commercialization would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If the Company cannot successfully develop, manufacture and distribute its products, or if the Company experiences difficulties in the development process, such as capacity constraints, quality control problems or other disruptions, the Company may not be able to develop market-ready commercial products at acceptable costs, which would adversely affect the Company's ability to effectively enter the market. A failure by the Company to achieve a low-cost structure through economies of scale or improvements in cultivation and manufacturing processes would have a material adverse effect on the Company's commercialization plans and the Company's business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.

Failure to develop new and innovative products may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to develop, introduce and market new and ‎innovative products. If there is a shift in consumer demand, we must meet such demand through new and ‎innovative products or else our business will fail. Our ability to develop, market and produce new products ‎is subject to us having substantial capital. There is no assurance that we will be able to develop new and ‎innovative products or have the capital necessary to develop such products.

The lack of experience of our management in marketing, selling, and distributing products may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Our management's lack of experience in marketing, selling, and distributing our products could lead to poor decision- making, which could result in cost-overruns and/or the inability to produce the desired products. Although management of the Company intends to hire experienced and qualified staff, this inexperience could also result in the company's inability to consummate revenue contracts or any contracts at all. Any combination of the aforementioned may result in the failure of the Company and a loss of your investment.

The size of our target market is difficult to quantify, and investors will be reliant on their own estimates on the accuracy of market data.

Because the industry in which the Company operates is in a nascent stage with uncertain boundaries, there is a lack of information about comparable companies available for potential investors to review in deciding whether to invest in the Company and, few, if any, established companies whose business model the Company can follow or upon whose success the Company can build. Accordingly, investors will have to rely on their own estimates in deciding about whether to invest in the Company. There can be no assurance that the Company's estimates are accurate or that the market size is sufficiently large for its business to grow as projected, which may negatively impact its financial results.

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You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited because we are incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, a substantial portion of our assets are in Canada and some of our executive officers and directors reside outside the United States

We are organized pursuant to the laws of the Province of British Columbia under theBusiness Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "BCBCA"). The majority of our directors and officers and our auditor reside outside of the United States. In addition, a substantial portion of their assets and our assets are located outside of the United States. As a result, you may have difficulty serving legal process within the United States upon us or any of these persons. You may also have difficulty enforcing, both in and outside of the United States, judgments you may obtain in U.S. courts against us or these persons in any action, including actions based upon the civil liability provisions of U.S. federal or state securities laws. Furthermore, there is substantial doubt as to the enforceability in Canada against us or against any of our directors, officers and the expert named in this Annual Report who are not residents of the United States, in original actions or in actions for enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts, of liabilities based solely upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws. In addition, shareholders in British Columbia companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in U.S. federal courts. As a result, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against us, our management, our directors or our major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States.

We continue to sell Common Shares for cash to fund operations, capital expansion, mergers and acquisitions that will dilute our current shareholders.

There is no guarantee that the Company will be able to achieve its business objectives. The continued development of the Company will require additional financing. The failure to raise such capital could result in the delay or indefinite postponement of current business objectives or the Company going out of business. There can be no assurance that additional capital or other types of financing will be available if needed or that, if available, the terms of such financing will be favourable to the Company.

If additional funds are raised through issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, existing shareholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities issued could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of Common Shares. The Company's articles permit the issuance of an unlimited number of Common Shares, and shareholders will have no pre-emptive rights in connection with such further issuance. The directors of the Company have discretion to determine the price and the terms of issue of further issuances. In addition, from time to time, the Company may enter into transactions to acquire assets or the shares of other companies. These transactions may be financed wholly or partially with debt, which may temporarily increase the Company's debt levels above industry standards. Any debt financing secured in the future could involve restrictive covenants relating to capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for the Company to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. The Company may require additional financing to fund its operations to the point where it is generating positive cash flows. Negative cash flow may restrict the Company's ability to pursue its business objectives.

Clinical and preclinical drug development is a lengthy, costly process with uncertain outcomes. The results from previous clinical trials and early preclinical studies of our product candidates may not predict future results. The regulatory approval process is lengthy and unpredictable. Inability to obtain the regulatory approval can be harmful for business.

Before we can begin clinical trials, we must submit the results of preclinical studies, along with other necessary information such as product candidate chemistry, manufacturing controls, and our proposed clinical trial protocol, to the Food and Drug Administration or other comparable regulatory authorities as part of an investigational new drug application or similar regulatory filing. To obtain marketing approval from the Food and Drug Administration or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities, we must complete preclinical development and extensive clinical trials to demonstrate their safety and efficacy.

This process is expensive, can take many years, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Our clinical trials may not be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all, and failure can occur at any time during the preclinical study or clinical trial process. Despite promising preclinical or clinical results, any product candidate can unexpectedly fail at any stage of development. Historically, the failure rate for product candidates in drug development is high. Results from preclinical studies or early clinical trials may not predict the outcomes of later clinical trials, and interim results of a clinical trial are not necessarily indicative of final results. Bright Minds Biosciences had previously submitted an investigational new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration but later withdrew it prior to full review. In the withdrawal letter, the Food and Drug Administration mentioned partial clinical hold deficiencies related to the proposed dosing regime. Additional clinical development is ongoing for BMB-101 to initiate Phase 2 clinical trials. Additionally, product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to demonstrate the desired safety and efficacy characteristics, despite having progressed through preclinical studies and clinical trials. The Food and Drug Administration or any foreign regulatory authorities may delay, restrict, or deny approval of our product candidates, or require additional nonclinical or clinical testing, or even force us to abandon a program for various reasons.

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Our officers and directors may be engaged in a range of business activities resulting in conflicts of interest, which may have a material adverse effect on our operations.

The Company may be subject to various potential conflicts of interest because some of its officers and directors may be engaged in a range of business activities. In addition, the Company's executive officers and directors may devote time to their outside business interests, so long as such activities do not materially or adversely interfere with their duties to the Company. In some cases, the Company's executive officers and directors may have fiduciary obligations associated with these business interests that interfere with their ability to devote time to the Company's business and affairs and that could adversely affect the Company's operations. These business interests could require significant time and attention of the Company's executive officers and directors.

In addition, the Company may become involved in other transactions which conflict with the interests of its directors and officers who may from time-to-time deal with persons, firms, institutions or companies with which the Company may be dealing, or which may be seeking investments similar to those desired by it. The interests of these persons could conflict with those of the Company. In addition, from time to time, these persons may be competing with the Company for available investment opportunities. Conflicts of interest, if any, will be subject to the procedures and remedies provided under applicable laws. In particular, if such a conflict of interest arises at a meeting of the Company's directors, a director who has such a conflict will abstain from voting for or against the approval of such participation or such terms. In accordance with applicable laws, the directors of the Company are required to act honestly, in good faith and in the best interests of the Company.

In certain circumstances, our reputation could be damaged, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, financial condition, cash flows and growth prospects.

Damage to the Company's reputation can be the result of the actual or perceived occurrence of any number of events, and could include any negative publicity, whether true or not. The increased usage of social media and other web-based tools used to generate, publish and discuss user-generated content and to connect with other users has made it increasingly easier for individuals and groups to communicate and share opinions and views regarding the Company and its activities, whether true or not. Although the Company believes that it operates in a manner that is respectful to all stakeholders and that it takes care in protecting its image and reputation, the Company does not ultimately have direct control over how it is perceived by others. Reputation loss may result in decreased investor confidence, increased challenges in developing and maintaining community relations and an impediment to the Company's overall ability to advance its projects, thereby having a material adverse impact on financial performance, financial condition, cash flows and growth prospects.

We have negative operating cash flow.

The Company's business has incurred losses since its inception. Although the Company expects to become profitable, there is no guarantee that will happen, and the Company may never become profitable. The Company currently has a negative operating cash flow and may continue to have a negative operating cash flow for the foreseeable future. To date, the Company has not generated any revenues and a large portion of our expenses are fixed, including expenses related to facilities, equipment, contractual commitments and personnel. As a result, the Company expects for its net losses from operations to improve. The Company's ability to generate additional revenues and potential to become profitable will depend largely on its ability to manufacture and market its products and services. There can be no assurance that any such events will occur or that the Company will ever become profitable. Even if the Company does achieve profitability, the Company cannot predict the level of such profitability. If the Company sustains losses over an extended period of time, the Company may be unable to continue its business.

Our forward-looking statements may prove to be inaccurate.

Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking ‎statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, of both general and specific ‎nature, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements or ‎contribute to the possibility that predictions, forecasts or projections will prove to be materially inaccurate. Additional ‎information on the risks, assumptions and uncertainties can be found in this Annual Report under the heading "Forward-‎Looking Statements".‎

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If we have a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which could result in a decrease in the value of its securities.

One or more material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting could occur or be identified in the future. In addition, because of inherent limitations, our internal controls over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements, and any projections of any evaluation of effectiveness of internal controls to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with our policies or procedures may deteriorate. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, including any failure or difficulty in implementing required new or improved controls, our business and results of operations could be harmed, we may not be able to provide reasonable assurance as to our financial results or meet our reporting obligations and there could be a material adverse effect on the price of our securities.

Difficulties with forecasts.

We must rely largely on our own market research to forecast sales as detailed forecasts are not generally obtainable from other sources at this early stage of the biotechnology industry dedicated to the discovery of serotonergic therapeutics. A failure in the demand for our products and services to materialize as a result of competition, technological change or other factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Common Shares

Our executive officers and directors beneficially own approximately 25.5% of our Common Shares.

As of December 20, 2024, our executive officers and directors beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 25.5% of our Common Shares, which includes shares that our executive officers and directors have the right to acquire pursuant to warrants and stock options which have vested. As a result, they are able to exercise a significant level of control over all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors, amendments to our Articles (as defined herein) and approval of significant corporate transactions. This control could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our Company or changes in management and will make the approval of certain transactions difficult or impossible without the support of these shareholders.

The continued sale of our equity securities will dilute the ownership percentage of our existing shareholders and may decrease the market price for our Common Shares.

Our Notice of Articles (as defined herein) authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of Common Shares. Our Board of Directors has the authority to issue additional shares of our capital stock to provide additional financing in the future. The issuance of any such Common Shares may result in a reduction of the book value or market price of our outstanding Common Shares. Given our lack of revenues, we will likely have to issue additional equity securities to obtain working capital we require in the future. Our efforts to fund our intended business plans will therefore result in dilution to our existing shareholders. If we do issue any such additional Common Shares, such issuance also will cause a reduction in the proportionate ownership and voting power of all other shareholders. As a result of such dilution, if you acquire Common Shares your proportionate ownership interest and voting power could be decreased. Furthermore, any such issuances could result in a change of control or a reduction in the market price for our Common Shares.

Additionally, we had 229,350 stock options, 132,000 RSUs and 361,765 warrants outstanding as of December 20, 2024. The exercise price of some of these options and warrants is below our current market price, and you could purchase shares in the market at a price in excess of the exercise price of our outstanding warrants or options. If the holders of these options and warrants elect to exercise them, your ownership position will be diluted and the per share value of the Common Shares you have or acquire could be diluted as well. As a result, the market value of our Common Shares could significantly decrease as well.

The market price of our Common Shares may be volatile and may fluctuate in a way that is disproportionate to our operating performance.

Securities of companies with a small market capitalization have experienced substantial volatility in the past, often based on factors unrelated to the companies' financial performance or prospects. These factors include macroeconomic developments in North America and globally, as well as market perceptions of the attractiveness of particular industries. Factors unrelated to the Company's performance that may affect the price of the Common Shares include the following: the extent of analytical coverage available to investors concerning our business may be limited if investment banks with research capabilities do not follow us; lessening in trading volume and general market interest in the Common Shares may affect an investor's ability to trade significant numbers of Common Shares; the size of our public float may limit the ability of some institutions to invest in Common Shares; and a substantial decline in the price of the Common Shares that persists for a significant period of time could cause the Common Shares, if listed on an exchange, to be delisted from such exchange, further reducing market liquidity. As a result of any of these factors, the market price of the Common Shares at any given point in time may not accurately reflect our long-term value. Securities class action litigation often has been brought against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of their securities. We may in the future be the target of similar litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and damages and divert management's attention and resources.

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The market price of the Common Shares is affected by many other variables which are not directly related to our success and are, therefore, not within our control. These include other developments that affect the breadth of the public market for the Common Shares, the release or expiration of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on the Common Shares, and the attractiveness of alternative investments. The effect of these and other factors on the market price of the Common Shares is expected to make the Common Share price volatile in the future, which may result in losses to investors.

Our stock price is expected to be volatile and will be drastically affected by governmental and regulatory regimes and other factors outside of our control. We cannot fully predict the results of our operations expected to take place in the future. The results of these activities will inevitably affect our decisions related to future operations and will likely trigger major changes in the trading price of Common Shares.

We do not intend to pay dividends and there will thus be fewer ways in which you are able to make a gain on your investment.

We have never paid any cash or stock dividends and we do not intend to pay any dividends for the foreseeable future. To the extent that we require additional funding in the future, our funding sources may prohibit the payment of any dividends. Because we do not intend to declare dividends, any gain on your investment will need to result from an appreciation in the price of our Common Shares. There will therefore be fewer ways in which you are able to make a gain on your investment.

FINRA sales practice requirements may limit your ability to buy and sell our Common Shares, which could depress the price of our shares.

Financial Industry Regulation Authority ("FINRA") rules require broker-dealers to have reasonable grounds for believing that an investment is suitable for a customer before recommending that investment to the customer. Prior to recommending speculative low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer's financial status, tax status and investment objectives, among other things. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability such speculative low-priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. Thus, FINRA requirements may make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our Common Shares, which may limit your ability to buy and sell our Common Shares, have an adverse effect on the market for our Common Shares and, thereby, depress their market prices.

Our Common Shares have typically been thinly traded, and you may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all if you need to sell your Common Shares to raise money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares.

Our Common Shares began trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") on February 8, 2021 and began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market ("Nasdaq") on November 8, 2021. Our Common Shares have typically been "thinly-traded", meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing our Common Shares at or near bid prices at any given time was relatively small or non-existent. This could be due to a number of factors, including that we are relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community that generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came to the attention of such persons, they tend to be risk-averse and might be reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of our Common Shares until such time as we became more seasoned. As a consequence, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in our Common Shares is minimal or non-existent, as compared to a seasoned issuer which has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share price. The Company cannot predict when periods of increased trading activity may occur, or whether they will occur at all. Broad or active public trading market for our Common Shares may not develop or be sustained.

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We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act. As such, we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies. For example:

  • we are not required to provide as many Exchange Act reports, or as frequently, as a domestic public company;

  • for interim reporting we are permitted to comply solely with our home country requirements, which are less rigorous than the rules that apply to domestic public companies;

  • we are not required to provide the same level of disclosure on certain issues, such as executive compensation;

  • we are exempt from provisions of Regulation FD aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information;

  • we are not required to comply with the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; and

  • we are not required to comply with Section 16 of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and establishing insider liability for profits realized from any "short-swing" trading transaction.

Our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important and are accustomed to receiving from U.S. reporting companies.

As an "emerging growth company" under applicable law, we will be subject to lessened disclosure requirements. Such reduced disclosure may make our Common Shares less attractive to investors.

For as long as we remain an "emerging growth company", as defined in the JOBS Act, we will elect to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not "emerging growth companies" and including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports, exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Because of these lessened regulatory requirements, our shareholders would be left without information or rights available to shareholders of more mature companies. If some investors find our Common Shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for such securities and their market prices may be more volatile.

We incur significant costs as a result of being a public company, which costs will grow after we cease to qualify as an "emerging growth company."

We incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses as a public company that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and Nasdaq, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. We are an "emerging growth company", as defined in the JOBS Act, and will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of : (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our common equity securities pursuant to an effective registration statement under the U.S. Securities Act, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least US$1.07 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Common Shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the prior June 30 th; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than US$1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the assessment of the emerging growth company's internal control over financial reporting and permission to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies.

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